


Trying to Remember, Failing to Forget

by AliceFellThroughTheWorld



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst, Battle Scars, Depression, Domestic klance, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Female pronouns for Pidge, Fluff, Give my boy all the love he needs, He needs a lot of love, Hunk and Allura are adorable, Keith is concerned, Lance gets sent to the future, Lots of Angst, M/M, Married Klance, Scars, fluffy klance, klance, lance is confused
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-05-18 02:35:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14843981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliceFellThroughTheWorld/pseuds/AliceFellThroughTheWorld
Summary: It takes seven minutes for the human brain to fall asleep. Seven minutes to become immersed in the twilight world, where your brain can truly believe anything is real. Seven minutes to lose yourself, opening your mind and inviting in anything you might think about during the day, making them a reality for a while. It only took seven minutes for Lance to fall asleep.It takes twenty minutes for the human brain to fully wake up, letting you start the day. Twenty minutes to retrieve yourself from the twilight world, where your brain can create shapes and figures that aren't really there. Twenty minutes where you're so groggy and vulnerable that any little thing can catch you off guard. It took Lance twenty minutes to realize he was awake... and another hour to realize he wasn't dreaming.Lance wakes up in the future. He soon realizes being back on Earth means he gets more than he bargained for.





	1. Realizations and Memories

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first multi-chapter fic and im extremely excited to undertake this project! This fic is set some time after season 2 with none of the events from season 3 onwards. 
> 
> Comments are both encouraged and appreciated. I'm trying to improve my writing every day and would love to hear your input. If you notice any huge errors, let me know and i'll try and fix them. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!

As soon as Lance's eyes open, he can tell something is wrong.

One minute. The air is too clean, the room too bright.

Five minutes. His breathing quickens, his head begins to clear from the groggy sleep-like state he had been in.

Ten minutes. Slowly, his ears begin to register odd sounds coming from the room. The whir of an air conditioner, the whoosh of a ceiling fan, and... birds. Birds chirping sweetly outside his window. He begins to panic.

Fifteen minutes. He looks around, seeing beige wallpaper and green trim. Not his usual blue and grey metal.

Twenty minutes. The bed shifts and Lance’s breath hitches. He isn't alone. He quickly tries to sit up but finds a soft pair of arms around him, holding him against the bed.

Lance shifts his eyes down, trying to find the arms. Pale white against his dark skin. His eyes travel up, slender shoulders, delicate neck, messy dark hair falling down to nearly their mid-back. Internally, Lance fist pumps despite his confusion. Obviously, this was just a dream. How else could he have scored a date?

The person beside him sighs happily, releasing Lance and turning to the side, revealing a nicely defined back. Lance smiles and looks up at the ceiling.

'Holy shit!' He mouths, biting his knuckle. He lays there for a few more minutes before slowly sitting up, stretching as he does so. He swings his legs over the side of the bed and hisses slightly as his feet touch the cold floor, almost wishing he could stay in the bed. Sighing, he forces himself to actually stand up and walk to the door, opening it slowly. He winces as it squeaks and glances back to see if he had woken up the person in his bed but luckily they just shift and stay asleep. Letting out a small sigh, he steps out of the room and gently closes the door behind him.

The house he was in was small and cluttered, filled with pictures and trinkets. Lance walks over to the closest picture, scratching his back. He picks up the frame, looking down at it.

The picture held himself and Hunk, smiling and giving peace signs. Lance smiles, setting the picture back down and picking up the next.

The faces of his family looked up at him, all grinning from ear to ear. Hunk and Pidge were there too.

"This is a nice dream..." he mutters, setting the frame back into place and heading to the kitchen.

It was a quaint kitchen. Small stove/oven combo, tile countertops, white cabinets. A small fridge stood in the corner, making Lance almost faint from delight as he opens it to find actual food. After months of nothing but food goo and strange alien delights, it was nice to see old favorites even just in a dream. After all, it was a rather realistic fantasy.

Lance pulls out some eggs and bacon. Soon enough, the house was filled with the pleasant smell that almost made Lance tear up from nostalgia. The sizzles and pops coming from the pan made him think of the mornings he spent with his mom, helping her prepare breakfast for his siblings. He would sit on the counter, despite how tall he got, whisking eggs and singing songs. His mother would always join him and they would usually end up dancing together as the radio blasted their favorite song. Sometimes, if they woke up before his mother's shrill call to breakfast, his siblings would come to join the fun.

Lance pushes the thoughts out of his head, knowing they would just depress him once he woke up. He sighs, rummaging through the drawers and cabinets trying to find some dishes to use. He finally finds the plates and reaches up to grab one. As his fingers grasp one of the purple porcelain plates, he feels a pair of arms reach around his waist, a head burying into his neck.

"Good morning. You made bacon?" The voice was not at all what Lance expected. It was too deep, too... familiar? Slowly, he turns his head, eyes connecting with the violet ones he knew so well. He immediately jumps back, throwing the arms off of him, nearly hitting his head against the cabinet in the process. Next to him, the plates shatter against the ground, making both him and the other boy yelp in surprise.

"Keith?!" He shrieks, standing in a defensive position, his hands in the air. Keith rips his attention from the broken porcelain next to his bare feet.

"What?" He asks, eyebrows furrowed. For a split second, Lance thinks he can see concern lacing Keith's expression but instead focuses on the fact that  _ Keith  _ was in his dream... and his bed.

"What's going on? Why are you here?" Now Keith looks confused.

"I live here?" He almost sounded offended as he crosses his arms. Lance shakes his head, raising a finger in defiance.

"No. No no no no no. This isn't real. This is just a dream and I'm going to wake up soon." As he speaks, he becomes unsure if his own words. This all felt too solid, too real. He reaches down with his right hand and pinches his left. A sharp jab of pain coursed up his arm and he can feel his entire body freeze, mind focusing on the now dully throbbing spot on his hand.

"Lance," Keith's voice breaks the silence. "You're scaring me. Is everything okay?" Lance feels his blood start to boil with frustration and fear.

"No... No! Nothing's okay! None of this should be real! But I can smell the bacon, hear the plates, I can feel the pinch. The last thing I remember, I was in battle against a Galra fleet, and now? I'm waking up in the same bed as my rival!" Keith visibly flinches at Lance's words.

"You... do you not remember?" He asks tentatively, not wanting to start an outburst.

"Remember what?"

"Lance, we haven't been in space for over ten years."

One hour. His reality was crashing down around him. He glances to his side and sees one more picture sitting on the counter. Him and Keith kissing, their clasped hands in the foreground; showing off their matching rings. Suddenly, his left hand feels twice as heavy as his gaze slowly twitches down to the gold band with a gleaming red gemstone sitting on his ring finger. How he hadn't noticed it before was beyond him.

His mind starts whirling, he spins around to face Keith as he locks eyes with him, Lance begins to…

Well, he screams. Keith has to cover his ears and nearly steps on the shards of plate next to him from recoiling due to pure shock.

Lance screams for what felt to him like hours until his throat burned and his voice grew ragged. He screams until he runs out of breath. Eventually, his howl turns into exasperated breathing, eyes wide and wild, his body hunched over, arms clutching at his sides.

Keith hesitantly places a hand on Lance's shoulder, completely terrified. From his point of view; his husband was having a mental breakdown, and somehow, amnesia. He tries to think back to any time recently Lance had a head injury but he was drawing a blank.

Lance slowly straightens his back, standing shakily. He ignores Keith and robotically walks over to the hall mirror that was in his sight.

As he steps up to it, his face comes into view. It was rugged, weathered. He had a long scar running down the left side of his face, starting at his eyebrow and ending far below his neck. His skin was a shade darker, beaten by the sun. Lance, it seems, had grown out his hair, curling gently at the nape of his neck, flopping slightly over his eye; not enough to block his view, but enough to notice when looking at him. Even his peach fuzz had grown out enough to give him a scratchy feel when he touches his face.

Lance's hand travels from his chin to his scar, trailing down to his shirt. He could feel that he had more muscles than before, and his shoulders had broadened, giving him a more triangular figure. He was still gangly but he seemed to have grown into the look..

Stepping away from the mirror, he turns to Keith, who was currently trying to find their broom so he could sweep up the mess Lance had created. The stove had been turned off, thankfully, as the bacon had begun to burn, throwing an unpleasant smell to match the tension in the house.

Lance slowly walks over to the sofa and sinks into it, watching as Keith sweeps up the porcelain.

Keith looked almost the same as Lance remembers. The only big difference, other than the age, was his hair. Thin, shiny black hair falling down halfway between his shoulders and his waist. There were a few crimps running across the straight locks, showing that he had been wearing it in a bun. His face was cleanly shaven despite having just woken up and if Lance focused, he could see a couple of small scars- one on the lower right side of his lip and another one cutting through the thick eyebrow on the same side. He was more lean, and had grown taller but still fell a head shorter than Lance.

Lance takes this moment to try and assess his situation, albeit a rather difficult challenge. He knew at this point that he wasn't dreaming but he had no explanation as to what exactly was going on.

He hunches his back and props his elbows on his knees, placing his pointer fingers together and resting them on his lips. His brain begins to hurt as he wheels over every explanation for what's happening. Could it be that he had gone through a wormhole into a different dimension? Or maybe he had lived his entire life and somehow got amnesia. Whatever the reason he's here, he knows he has to figure it out.

"Lance, we should talk." Keith's concerned voice cuts through the silence and Lance nearly starts to cry from how tender he sounds, as if one wrong word could shatter him like the plates in the trash can.

"I'm not sure I want to." Lance was surprised at the tone of his own voice, scratchy, broken and flat. He looks at Keith and his eyes fill with tears. "I'm not sure what's happening."

Keith's gingerly sits next to him and touches his back, hesitating slightly. They sit in silence for a few seconds before Lance sighs, turning his body to face Keith, detaching his hand in the process.

"The last thing I remember I was in Blue. We were… we were spinning out of control and I tried to correct her. I remember calling out for help... but no one answered. And then the next thing I know, I’m way too close for comfort to the side of a Galra ship." Keith's eyes go dark for a moment before shaking his head and placing a hand on Lance’s thigh, an action that seemed like instinct to Keith but was foreign to Lance. Too foreign. He shifts his leg out from under his hand and sees the hurt flash in Keith’s eyes, immediately making Lance feel bad. The red paladin just clears his throat, getting back on topic.

"I remember this. Pidge tried to get to you but you had..." He trails off. "You were in the healing pod for three months. We all thought you were going to... that's how you got your scar."

Lance reaches up and touches the scar on his face and winces, trying to remember waking up from those three months but ends up drawing a blank.

"I'm sorry, I don't... remember that." Keith seems to go numb, his face becoming stone and his knuckles white as he clenches his fist. He doesn't talk for what seems like hours before he stands up and walks out of the living room. Lance can't bring himself to look up from his lap, where his hands sit intertwined.

It took thirty minutes before Keith had the energy to walk back into the room. With him was a photo album.

"We're going to make you remember."

Keith wasn't exactly the most... subtle person and when he gets upset, everyone around him knows it. Lance could see the red around his eyes, betraying Keith’s attempt at staying calm. Lance, despite not knowing what was happening, still knew the boy’s- now man’s- ticks and cues. Years spent studying the red paladin, in the Garrison and in space, had left Lance a near expert on Keith’s body language. Right now, with Keith’s rigid back, sitting on the couch with an uncomfortable amount of distance between them, Lance could tell that he was in a state of rage and sadness. If the anger were directed at him or at Keith himself, Lance had no idea. He only knew that, for some reason, he wanted nothing more than to comfort him. He had never seen Keith like this in all the time he had known him, and it terrified him, but he knew he had to push on in order to help himself. Then, and only then, could he help Keith.

He turns his attention to the photo album that Keith had finally cracked open, eyes focusing on the first page, where he found a picture he automatically recognized. It was a group photo of Team Voltron that he had taken before he woke up here. Keith’s finger taps against the picture.

“This was taken a month before you went into the healing pod. Do you remember this?” Lance nods, taking the book from Keith’s lap and running his finger over the photo.

“How did you get this? I took it on that weird space iPhone.” Keith chuckles and, for a brief moment, Lance sees the 18-year-old he was used to shining through Keith's older face.

“After we got back to Earth, Pidge made an adapter so we could show the world what had happened,” His eyes were shining with what seemed to Lance like pride “When we got to the UN, Hunk and Pidge made this slideshow and-” He looks over to Lance and sighs. “I think we should go over that later. Right now, we need to see how much you remember.” Lance frowns, wanting to hear the rest of the story, needed to hear any detail about Earth, still not believing fully that he was there, on the ground. He looks back to the book and scans through the pictures, recognizing every single picture within the first few pages, even dating them as Keith asked for it. It wasn’t until he got to a picture on the 5th page that he stopped remembering what had happened.

The picture was of the Blue Lion, documenting a large gash on her side. Lance reaches out with shaky hands and traces the scar the lion had received. 

“What happened?” 

“This was taken after the crash we talked about earlier. Shiro thought it best to take a picture of the damage done to show everyone what we had risked keeping the universe safe. Which is why…” Keith reaches over to turn the page and Lance feels his breath hitch halfway up his throat as he stares down at a heart-wrenching sight.

It was Lance or a pallid version of himself. He was slumped over in a healing pod, a large gash to match his lion running down his face and neck, ending somewhere below the white bodysuit he had been placed in. Seeing himself so pale and lifeless was more than he could handle. Lance falls silent, eyes wide. He doesn’t even notice his vision blurring until his tears hit the laminated page he was holding.

“Lance?” Keith’s voice and gentle hand against his back shake him out of his stupor. He quickly reaches up and wipes his eyes, sniffling slightly. Keith begins to rub small circles into Lance’s back, trying to calm him without too much physical interaction, as he knew it would upset Lance. 

This was unbelievably hard for Keith. The man he had built a life with was crumbling in front of his eyes and there was little he could do about it. It was taking everything inside of him not to embrace his husband and kiss every inch of his face until he felt better but he had a feeling that would do more harm than good in Lance’s current state. Emotions had always been hard for Keith to understand and show, but working with Lance, he had learned to accept himself and grow into his feelings, leaving him a much more vulnerable person these days. Lance was the absolute love of his life and it killed him to see him in pain- especially when it seemed to encompass him in his entirety. 

Thinking back to it, that crash had changed Lance completely. From the moment he stepped out of the healing pod, he was much more affectionate to Keith, viewing him as an asset and friend instead of just a rival. The scar seemed to humble Lance and there were more than a few times that Keith found him in his room in the castleship, staring in the mirror and gently tracing the scar. Lance later revealed to Keith that, although he knew he should wear it with pride as a mark of the battles he had survived, he couldn’t help but feel as though it ruined him. There was even an occasion where Lance broke down in front of Keith, confessing that he felt no self-worth, believing the scar to make him ugly. Keith remembers exactly how he reacted to the crying boy, He had laughed. In his nervousness, he had laughed. It had shocked Lance enough that he stopped crying and Keith remembers the exact shade of dusty rose he had turned. 

In that moment, years ago, Keith laughed because he realized just how hard he was falling for Lance, and as he stopped laughing, he wrapped the fuming boy in a hug, a rarity for Keith at the time, and he told Lance that everything would be okay. Keith’s own eyes well up with tears as he remembers holding the sobbing boy, letting him talk about every insecurity he had, and even confessing a few of his own.

That was the night they had their first kiss.

“Is that really me?” Lance asks, throwing glances towards the picture, but unable to look at it full on, feeling sick to his stomach every time he connects his eyes to the photographed wound.

“Yeah, it was a really rough time for the whole team. We couldn’t form Voltron for three months and we really thought we were going to die without you there. It really made us realize how much we needed you.” Lance looks over at Keith and is shocked to see a light dust of blush over his cheeks. “How much I needed you. It was strange, you know, in those few months, not a single person smiled. Your jokes and misguided pick-up lines are what kept us going, kept us fighting. We just couldn’t see it until it was gone for so long.” Keith sounded so sincere it was hard for Lance to believe that this was the same boy he fought with. 

“Keith, I’m... I’m so sorry about whatever is happening. Hell, I’m still hoping that this is all just a dream and I’ll wake up at any second... but I can tell that I won’t. Keith, I really don’t know what happened but I think it has something to do with this crash.” He taps on the picture roughly, turning his body more to face Keith for the first time. 

“Lance, maybe we should go to Pidge and Hunk. I think they would be able to tell you more about the crash than I can. After all, Shiro and I weren’t there.” Lance nods, standing up from the couch and handing the photo album back to Keith who was quickly standing up after him. 

“So what happened with those two?”

“Well,” Keith heads to the kitchen and pulls out some bread, placing a couple slices in the toaster as he speaks. “Pidge found her brother and father and Matt quickly became a huge part of team Voltron. When we got back to Earth, Pidge decided that she never wanted to be apart from her family and they still live together.” He smiles fondly, leaning against the counter as the bread toasts. “When Colleen first saw them again, she thought they were ghosts. Pidge is still living with them but Matt moved out with Shiro about seven years ago.

“Hunk, on the other hand, reunited with his moms and found out he has a little sister. You should have seen him cry!” At this, Lance takes a seat at the kitchen island, leaning his head on his hands, elbows propped up on the counter, eating up every word. “He lives with Allura and Coran, they decided to stay on Earth and learn our ways. It started out as a diplomacy mission but they quickly became enamored with our planet and settled in for good. They sometimes venture out into space, we all do, but they like to stay on the ground most of the time.” Keith moves to the fridge and grabs the orange juice carton, pouring each of them a glass, grabbing the butter as he places the juice back on its proper shelf. He slides a glass to Lance and opens the butter container just as the toast pops.

Lance was a bit surprised at just how comfortable and natural Keith looked in this domestic life. He moved with a confidence and ease that Lance would never have imagined for him and, truth be told, it suited him. Lance smiles despite himself and takes a sip of his orange juice.

“And then Hunk and Allura got married an-” Lance cuts him off by choking on his juice, coughing loudly. Keith just laughs and slides him a plate with two slices of buttered toast. “I thought that would give you a shock.” He gives Lance a lopsided smile.

“Hunk? Ended up with Allura?” Keith snickers at his question, chewing on his toast and giving Lance a small shrug.

“It gave everyone a surprise. Coran was against it at first, seeing as how Allura is royalty, but he caved pretty quickly when he saw how happy they made each other. It was a pretty odd ceremony, a blend of Altean and American weddings, but it was beautiful. A diplomat from each planet in Voltron’s assembly came to Earth.” Keith laughs again, “I wish you could remember the looks on every human’s face that day. I’m pretty sure Hunk’s aunt tried to contact Area 51.” They both share a laugh and Lance finds himself relaxing more and more into this new reality. It’s at this moment that he knows he can trust this Keith enough to accept his word as truth. Keith locks eyes with him before glancing away and clearing his throat.

“Shiro and Matt followed close behind them. Pidge got a girlfriend but they have no plans of going any further yet.” They fall into a comfortable silence as they finish up their small breakfast, neither of them wanting to break what they had created. Lance takes his time eating to study Keith’s face. It had changed in the last hour, becoming softer, easier. Lance immediately felt bad for how he had reacted earlier, as he knew it had caused Keith a lot of stress. It was odd, suddenly feeling compassion towards someone he had considered a rival for so long. But at the same time, he felt good about letting go of that notion and he wonders why he ever held it at all. 

Keith looks up and catches Lance staring at him, causing both of them to look away and blush. It was an odd feeling for Keith, to suddenly feel like a new person in front of his husband. He could tell that Lance didn’t think of him the same way he had the night before but it was hard for him to not be as affectionate as he normally is. However hard it was for Keith, he knew it had to be exponentially harder for his partner. He still wasn’t sure if Lance had some type of amnesia or if he had somehow reverted to his 18-year-old self, or what. It honestly scared Keith and the thought flicks across his head to take him to the doctor, which was probably the smart option, but he felt that he should take him to Pidge and Hunk first. Something was telling him that he shouldn’t tell doctors that he was worried his husband was going crazy. Or maybe it was himself that was in trouble.

Lance stands up from the island and hesitates, picking up his plate slowly.

“Should I just... put this in the sink?” He asks, afraid to look Keith in the eye. It was a simple question but it made him feel suddenly like a stranger in what was apparently his own house. Keith obviously feels the same weight behind the question and the silence that was once comfortable turns horribly awkward. 

“I’ll take care of it. You should go get dressed. I’ll call Pidge and Hunk and have them meet us somewhere.” Lance nods and sets the plate back on the counter, heading back upstairs to the room he remembers waking up in.

In his earlier, sleep-driven state, he hadn’t gotten a good look at the room around him. It was a small bedroom, most of the space being taken up by the king size bed in the middle of the left wall. Nightstands were placed on each side of the bed, a lamp on both. LAnce’s side had a glass of water and a book while Keith’s had a retainer case and his signature dagger. Keith had made the bed before coming downstairs, a green comforter and cream colored decorative pillows covering its surface. As he steps closer, he can see the side he woke up on has baby blue pillows while Keith’s has two light red pillows. It was so domestic, so unlike him, that Lance suddenly felt sick to his stomach, the reality of his situation finally weighing on him now that he was alone.

He wasn’t dreaming, he was somehow in the future with no memory of the past, and he was married to Keith Kogane. He wondered briefly if it was Keith McClain. Or if they hyphenated their last names. The thought makes him flush as he realizes there were butterflies in his fingertips. He was married to Keith. Quickly, he shakes away all of his thoughts.

“I have to get ready.” He heads over to the shared closet across from the bed and opens the door. It was a small walk-in closet with Lance’s clothes hanging on the left, Keith’s on the right. He chooses a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved grey shirt with a blue neckline and hem and searches for his signature jacket, thankful that his style hadn’t changed much in this future. At the very back of the closet, he finally found his beat up old jacket, much worse for wear than he remembered. He holds it close, finding some normalcy in the soft fabric he wore through his teen years. He slips it on and finds that, while it’s a much tighter fit than it used to be, it still fit well enough to pass. Breathing a sigh of relief, he pulls on a pair of socks and chooses a pair of brown combat boots before walking into the bathroom connected to the bedroom. 

The first thing Lance noticed about the bathroom was the fact that they had a jack and jill sink. The right side of the sink was spotless, only a tube of Axe deodorant on the counter. In the middle of the sink, there was a double toothbrush holder, one red the other blue, a single tube of toothpaste in front of it. The left side of the sink was a cluttered collection of hair and skin products. Lance chuckles, guessing it was his side.

Lance had always taken pride in keeping his skin clear. It seems that older Lance held the same values, which he quickly said a prayer for. He takes off his jacket, placing it on one of the towel hooks behind him, wishing he had done this before getting dressed. He rolls up his sleeves and washes his face, savoring every drop of water that hits his skin. 

He washes away the feeling of dried tears, washes away his troubles for a few minutes, which was so refreshing he wishes he could stay in that position forever... until his hands run over the ugly scar that marred his face. He traces it down his neck and realizes that while getting dressed, he never saw how far it went. 

He yanks off his shirt and stares in the mirror, eyes following the scar from his left eyebrow all the way down his neck. It continues past his collarbone and when it reaches his left nipple, it curves off to the right, traveling beneath the waistband of his pants. He unbuttons his jeans and yanks them to his ankles. Only then can he see that the scar stopped halfway down his right thigh. He stares at the puckered flesh for another 30 seconds or so before pulling his pants back up. He re-buttons them and slowly leans his elbows onto the cold counter, running his hands through his shaggy hair. Sighing deeply, he closes his eyes and lets his head clear, taking a much-needed break from his own thoughts. He takes a few minutes of silence before pulling on his shirt and jacket, pausing before heading out the door.

 

There was more to this. He just had to figure out how he got here.

And how to get back.


	2. Getting Ready

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which I write filler and exposition. Oh, and there's a pillow battle!

Pidge and Hunk agreed to meet them later that afternoon at a small coffee shop about 20 minutes from Lance and Keith’s house, which, he discovered, was closer to the country than to the city, leaving them with three hours to kill. While still confused and, to be frank, scared about the situation he was in, Lance knew he had to settle into this new reality. He wasn’t sure how Pidge and Hunk were going to deal with his sudden... memory loss, he decides to call it. He was pretty sure that if he told his friends he believed he had somehow been launched forward into the future, they would put him in the loony bin and he would never get back to his own time. Of course, he also didn’t know if he would just wake up tomorrow back in his old body, but a gut feeling told him that wouldn't be happening any time soon.

“So tell me, how did we finally defeat Zarkon?” Lance asks, sitting on the couch as Keith does a few chores in the kitchen, including feeding a cat he had no idea they had. How Future Lance had persuaded dog-loving Keith to adopt a cat, he had no idea but he was grateful as the Maine Coon named Andromeda was currently curled in his lap, lazily napping away. It took Lance a couple of ticks to realize that Keith hadn’t responded yet. He looks up from Andromeda to see Keith deathly silent, frozen in front of the window, staring at the trees outside.

“Keith?” He asks tentatively, reaching a hand in his direction despite the entire room’s distance between the two. At the sound of his name, Keith’s shoulders relax and he turns to Lance.

“If you don’t mind, I would rather not talk about it. Maybe ask Pidge about it.” Lance could hear a tone in Keith’s voice he had never heard before. He couldn’t place it but it still sent a chill down his spine. He wonders briefly if he should push the subject, curiosity rampant. Instead, he picks up Andromeda and cradles her in his arms, walking over to where Keith is standing. He switches his grip on the cat so that he’s holding her under her arms and her lower body is dangling freely. He brings her up in front of his face and leans around Keith, meeting his gaze with the cat.

“Keith seems a little sad!” He says in a silly voice, wiggling the cat back and forth. He brings the annoyed cat back into his arms and avoids Keith’s questioning eyes. “Sorry, I got nervous. You don’t have to talk about it if you can’t, I know it was probably pretty traumatic.” He risks a glance up at Keith and finds him smiling. Lance can’t help but give an uneasy smile back.

“Thank you. I know you just want to fill in the gaps but... I’ve spent the last decade trying to forget about Zarkon and that battle.” Keith tries to look away but Lance still catches the still-raw pain in his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Keith. I know we’ve had our differences... I guess it would be safe to say that they are in the past now, huh?” At this, Keith laughs, dispersing the tension that had built up.

“Considering we’ve been married for ten years? I would say so.” Lance coughs at this, feeling his face heat up.

“I didn’t know you’ve...  we’ve been married for that long!” He sputters out, looking down at the ring he had, for some reason, not taken off yet. It felt wrong keeping it on as if it were someone else’s. But he had a feeling that Keith wouldn’t like it if he took it off.

“We got married the same year we landed back on Earth. When we were still in space, you said you needed to wait until your family could attend and well, as soon as they could, we got married.”

“My family…” How could Lance forget? Now that he was on Earth, he could see them. His Mamá, all of his siblings. He wonders briefly how many new family members had been introduced to the world while he was gone. He crouches down, placing Andromeda on the ground. As he stands back up, his eyes fill with happy tears and he wipes them away with the sleeve of his jacket.

“Lance?” Keith steps forward and rubs Lance’s arms, not knowing if he was happy or overwhelmed or what. Lance looks at Keith and breaks into a huge grin, sniffling slightly.

“Please tell me I get to see my family.” Keith’s lips part into a relieved smile.

“We can see them later today. I forgot you don’t remember reuniting with them.” He releases Lance’s arms and reaches into his pocket to bring out a futuristic-looking phone that Lance can’t help but gawk at. It looked even cooler than the space phone he had grown accustomed to.

“Is that a phone?” He asks, reaching out and taking it from Keith’s hands, turning it around and studying it closely. Keith blinks in disbelief before laughing at the curious look on Lance’s face.

“Yes, that’s my phone! Now can I have it back so I can call Mamá Rosa?” Lance is taken aback at how easily Keith uses his mother’s name and hands the phone back, a blush creeping across his face before he can stop it. He clears his throat and turns away.

Back before his rivalry with Keith, when he first met the boy at the Galaxy Garrison, Lance had a minuscule crush on him. He had always known he was bisexual and had always been open with it, his family understanding and supporting him made a huge difference in how he felt about himself growing up and it had made him very confident in who he was. Keith was one of the first boys he spoke to at the Garrison, having shown him where to find the dorms and introducing him to Hunk. Although he didn’t find out the name of the cute boy he had shown around until placement tests when Keith had surpassed him easily despite how hard he had studied. Lance could remember seeing the listing and feeling his heart drop. Hunk had to physically take him away from the board because Lance couldn’t move out of disappointment. He went to Keith the next day and declared his rivalry with him, prompting the beginning of countless sleepless nights and breakdowns trying to study and surpass the boy that he obsessed over.

When Keith got kicked out of the Garrison, Lance tried to convince himself that he had finally achieved his goal but ended up feeling nothing but emptiness, his drive to study harder suddenly gone. Lance got bumped up to fighter class but was quickly falling behind and all thoughts of Keith turned to the negative instead of the small crush that had been building through the competition, even though he knew Keith probably hadn’t given him a second thought.

“Hello, Rosa.” Keith’s voice cuts through his thoughts and Lance turns back around, focusing on the phone in Keith’s hand. If he strained, he could just barely hear his Mamá’s voice. “Lance and I were wanting to visit later today. Can we come over at dinner time?” He hears his mother’s laugh, ringing like a bell before telling Keith that he didn’t need to ask permission to see his own family. Keith gives a chuckle in response before glancing to where Lance was standing. His expression falls and he moves out of the kitchen into a closed off room. It leaves a pit in the bottom of Lance’s stomach. He wasn’t sure exactly what Keith was saying to his Mamá but if he could guess, he would say it had something to do with his “memory loss”. It was probably best to warn them, considering he wouldn't be able to name people he supposedly spent 10 years with.

After 10 minutes, Keith emerges back into the kitchen. He gives a smile but he can see that his eyes were red, most likely from crying. Lance shifts uncomfortably, rubbing his arm.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, it is. I, uh, I told your mom about what happened. A version of it anyways.”

“What did she say?”

“She was confused at first but she understands for the most part.” Keith gives a small chuckle. “She said she was going to make all your favorite foods to give you a great second reunion.” Lance’s face breaks into a huge smile. Leave it to his Mamá to find any excuse to cook a feast.

“There better be some croquetas when I get there!” Lance says with a lopsided grin. “You know, My Mamá’s croquetas are what I would think about to make it through a battle sometimes. Well, that and her-” Keith cuts in.

“Her buñuelos de anís.” He shoots Lance a matching smile. “After trying them, I know why.”

“Right, married. Forgot.” Lance says.

“She made them for the wedding.” Keith looks down at his hand, twisting the ring around his finger. “When I met her for the first time, I was so nervous. I still felt guilty for having a hand in your disappearance and I thought, more than anything, she would blame me for making everyone think you were dead for 5 years.” He falls silent for a second. “The first thing she did was pull me into a hug and thank me for keeping you safe. For keeping you alive.” He looks up at Lance with a smile. “Your family made me feel like I had a home for the first time in my life.”

At this declaration, Lance’s eyes well up with tears for what felt like the fiftieth time that day. He takes a large step forward and envelops the shorter boy in a large hug. He feels Keith freeze for a second before melting into the hug. It felt natural, which was odd. Lance had expected it to be at least a little bit awkward. He makes a mental note that if he ever made it back to his own time, he would give Keith more hugs.

When he pulls away, he quickly wipes away his tears.

“I want you to know something, Keith. Even though I don’t remember any of our relationship,” Keith visibly flinches at this, “You are my family. Even if I only remember you as a rival, you’ve always been important to me.” Lance gives him a nudge with his elbow before walking back to the couch, taking his previous criss-cross position “Now, enough mushy talk. I have more questions about how awesome I was the past ten years.”

“Alright, ask away.” Keith says, going back to his chores.

“So how long were we in space for anyway?”

“Five whole years.”

“Then that means… If I was 17 when we found Blue...  and 19 when I crashed... “ Lance thinks for a minute, counting on his fingers. “Am I 32? Oh my god I’M SO OLD!” He throws his head back and groans, prompting a laugh out of Keith, who finishes up cleaning the counter and comes into the living room, sitting in the recliner next to the couch, legs slung over the armrest.

“Well then, old man Lance, you must consider Shiro ancient.”

“How old is he now, 40?” Keith nods. “Well his age finally fits his personality! And Pidge! Oh quiznak, Pidge must be 29!” He slaps his hand to his forehead and grins. “Holy cheese!”

“Now that’s a phrase I haven’t heard in a while.”

“What? That’s totally my catchphrase!” Lance says, sitting back up properly.

“You haven’t said that in years!”

“Well then future me has a bad taste in catchphrases.” He says with resolve, sending a grin to Keith. He hears a small chirp from his feet as Andromeda jumps up and stretches out on the couch, daring Lance to try and rub her belly.

“Maybe it was past you.” Keith says, sending back a smirk, only to dodge a pillow seconds later.

“Hey! Not cool!” Lance cries out, not dropping his smile. Instead, he throws a second pillow. Keith isn’t so lucky this time and the pillow smacks him in the face.

“Lance!” The giggling Cuban boy looks over just in time to meet a decorative pillow to the nose. The pillow falls into his lap and he slowly looks at Keith, who is currently passing another pillow from hand to hand and wearing a competitive smirk.

“Oh, you’re on!” Lance yells, leaping to his feet with a cushion clamped tightly in his fists. Giving a wicked grin, he brings it down on Keith’s head, who blocks it easily, swinging in retaliation at Lance’s stomach. He jumps out of the way, a shrieking laugh following him. Keith scrambles out of his chair and runs after him, chasing him around the sofa. Andromeda watches them lazily, cleaning her face.

“Get back here!” Keith yells, throwing his pillow at Lance. He barely misses, prompting more shrieks from Lance and laughs from himself. After a few more rotations, Lance wheels around on his feet and throws the cushion. Keith ducks and it sails over his head. He looks up at Lance and shakes his head.

“Don’t you dare.” He growls playfully, seeing the evil glint in Lance’s eyes. Lance hunches down, ready to sprint.

“I do dare.” He says before running after Keith. “How the tables have turned!” He yells, laughing at how Keith has taken over the shrieking, surprised at just how high pitched they are. He makes another mental note to hear them from the Keith of his time.

Lance’s luck changes quickly, however, as he takes his turn too sharply and slips on a pillow that was left on the ground. He crashes into the sofa and hears a small surprised ‘meow’ from the lazy cat as he falls to the ground, hitting his back against the cold hardwood floor.

“Lance?” Keith quickly comes around the couch. “Are you oka-” He slips on the same pillow and falls, almost as if in slow motion, on top of Lance, both of the men letting out an ‘oof’ as they collide.

“Oww…” Lance breathes out between giggle. Keith joins his giggles, both of them laying there for a few seconds before Lance realizes just how close Keith’s face is to his own. He blushes furiously but, due to the shorter man’s weight on top of him, is unable to move out of the way.

“Keith…” At his name, Keith looks at the blushing boy and smiles.

“You need to be more careful, you know.” He says, glancing around Lance’s face, eyes lingering slightly too long on his lips. He leans in slightly, eyes still searching his partner’s rugged face before freezing and sitting up. “I’m sorry, I... I forgot.” The light and playful energy suddenly drop, leaving behind a heavy atmosphere that crushes Lance as he sits up, leaning against the back of the couch.

“Hey, I thought that was my line.” He jokes, nudging Keith’s shoulder. “C’mon buddy. I don’t expect you to treat me like a stranger. You’ve been married to me for ten years. I know how hard this must be for you.” When Keith stays silent, he leans a bit closer. “It must be hard to resist my beauty!” At this, Keith can’t help but break into a smile and push Lance’s legs playfully.

“Yeah right.”

“I’m serious though. You married future me and have been together for a decade. I’m guessing this is really hard for you. I couldn’t imagine waking up and having my spouse suddenly forget our entire relationship. But in my time... all of my memories are of us bickering, fighting. Don’t get me wrong, you’re still one of my closest friends. Hell, we got stuck in space together! If I hated you, you would know. But... I’m not married to you.” Keith’s head drops into a low nod. “I’m a different Lance from a different time. I’m not your husband.”

Keith stands up without saying a word. Lance follows suit and stands still, watching Keith walk out of the room, disappearing somewhere upstairs. Lance sighs, picking up all the pillows and straightening up the room.

“What else could I have said?” He questions, aiming it at Andromeda. “I mean... I don’t want to lead him on. Would that be considered leading him on?.” The cat lets out a small mew and turns her back to him. “Don’t judge me!” He sits back down and hugs his knees up to his chest. “I just want to go home.” He looks around the room, eyes catching on the photobook from earlier. He picks it up and flips it open, running his hand over the picture of team Voltron. “This house isn’t my home... not yet anyway.”

Keith stayed upstairs until it was time for them to leave. When he finally came back downstairs, he had changed his clothes into something more public friendly. In his usual Keithy fashion he had on a black shirt and black pants that were snug against his legs, bagging slightly at the ankles due to his height. He had red and white shoes that stood out drastically against the otherwise all-black outfit and he had messily braided his hair to keep it out of his face. Lance had to admit that even all these years later, the ‘emo’ look suited him. He honestly couldn’t imagine Keith in any other style. He looks at Keith’s eyes and noticed they were red again and he immediately feels a pang of guilt.

“Keith, I-” Keith puts his hand up, stopping Lance.

“It’s okay. As much as I didn’t want to hear it, it needed to be said. I didn’t take your situation into consideration and I forgot that you still see me as your rival.” For some reasons, those words stung Lance. “We should head out. We don’t want to keep them waiting.” He brushes past Lance and grabs a black leather jacket off the coat rack. Lance can see rips and tears in it, showing the wear and tear it’s undertaken. There was a decal on the back that said “Voltron 02” in red print with a white outline. Seeing the decal made Lance smile a bit.

“It’s a bit odd seeing you without your weird crop jacket thingy.” Lance says, trying to break some of the tension. Thankfully, it works. Keith sends him a smile over his shoulder, turning around to face him.

“I could say the same for you. I haven’t seen you wear that jacket since before we got back to Earth.” Lance puffs out his cheeks and places his hands on his hips.

“It makes me feel better, so sue me!” This prompts a small chuckle out of Keith.

“I wasn’t saying anything!” He turns back to the door. “Come on, let’s head out.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shorter chapter! I'll be a bit busy for a while so it might be about a week before the next chapter comes out! Please leave comments and kudos and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	3. Brew'd Awakenings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which I realize that Hunk is hard to write. Enjoy future Hunk and Pidge! And also my favorite Original Character to this date.

 As much as Lance hated to admit it, Keith looked hot on a hoverbike. He already knew this, of course, first realizing it when they were escaping with Shiro. But considering the circumstances at the time, he couldn’t exactly ruminate on the fact. So, fifteen years later, he reveled in every second his arms were twisted around the man’s torso, helmet squishing his head a bit too tightly as the wind whipped his face.

After being in space for so long, flying down the roads and feeling the sun beat down on him felt magical. The country roads were rough, cutting through the fields of tobacco and corn. Lance was surprised to find that Earth hadn’t changed much in the time he was gone. Technology had advanced further, taking some obvious inspiration from the introduction of Altean ideas. Simple things like vehicles, phones, and small products have changed and developed but other than that, Earth seemed to have stayed the same.

A city was growing on the horizon in front of them and Lance couldn’t help but stare in wonder as the buildings grew taller and taller, as if they were touching the sky. Despite seeing crazy architecture in space, it was still astounding to see these things on Earth. He had grown up where all the buildings were small, modest. So seeing a city this large was a new experience, to say the least. Remembering back, The Galaxy Garrison was the largest building he had ever been in on Earth and as Lance enters this city, which by the name, he realizes must have been established and built in the years he missed, he comes to the conclusion that even the Garrison couldn’t stand up against these skyscrapers.

Keith drives them past a building made entirely of mirrors and Lance stares at his reflection as they slow to a stop in front of it. He glances up at the red light before looking back at his face. His mouth was spread into a wild smile he didn’t even know he was wearing, and much to his embarrassment he was flush against Keith’s back. He clears his throat and shifts away slightly, immediately missing the warmth against his chest as they lurch forward, taking off again.

It’s not long after the next stoplight that the buildings start to taper off into a more “downtown” vibe. Small businesses and vintage shops all collected on one street. The sidewalks are painted to look like rainbow hopscotch stones and it makes Lance smile. He hadn’t seen anything like it in years. There was something so homey, so incredibly “Earth” about it that it made him feel warm and fuzzy inside. Keith hangs his helmet on the handle of his hoverbike and Lance does the same, both of them stepping off onto the sidewalk.

The coffee shop in front of them was smaller than the other buildings around it and it was obvious from the outside that it was locally run. Windchimes decorate the patio area, swaying daintily above a few colorful chairs and tables. Lance glances up at the sign and grimaces.

“Brew’d Awakenings? That’s ironic.” He mutters, following Keith inside the small shop. The bell on the door jingles as they step inside.

The first thing that hits Lance is the strong scent of espresso. It was a smell that Hunk had tried to replicate many times while in space. Lance had thought that he had gotten close but smelling the coffee now made him realize that there was nothing in the universe quite like it. Light jazz played as Lance looked around at the colorful decor. It’s definitely a store that Lance would qualify as hippie. Crunchy decorations and dream catchers set above crystal displays made for a beautiful store, despite it being far out of Lance’s normal tastes.

“Looks like we’re here first.” Keith says, leading Lance to the counter. He hadn’t even noticed the fact that the two people they were there to meet hadn’t arrived yet, just a few customers dotting the store. The cheery barista at the counter waves her hand at the two of them. She was very short, about 5’3” with mahogany skin and short natural hair with tight curls that had a sea-green flower pinned into it. Her apron concealed a skater dress that matched the color of her hair clip perfectly. What Lance noticed the most about her, however, were the large, pink, bedazzled glasses resting on her nose, swallowing the bridge of it so you can only see the wide flare at the base of her nose.

“Well if it isn’t my favorite customers! You want the usual?” Lance had to squint to read the swirly writing on the girl’s name tag. Luckily, Keith answers for him.

“That would be great Violet, and if you could throw in a blueberry muffin and… a cheese danish.” The girl, Violet, throws up a thumbs up before ringing up the order on her tablet, facing it towards Keith. He places his phone next to it and it makes a small ding as the payment goes through.

“Alrighty! I’ll bring it to you if you want to go sit down.” She says, grabbing a large paper cup and a medium plastic cup. Keith thanks her again and leads Lance to a table in the back corner of the store. Keith takes the chair furthest from the front door and Lance sits across from him, his back to the front of the store.

“So what exactly did I just order.” Keith’s eyes widen slightly.

“Oh sorry, I should have let you look at the menu, I’m just so used to the same order.” Lance waves his hands in front of his chest.

“No, no, I’m not picky! I just want to know what I’m getting into here.” At that moment, Violet comes to their table, two drinks in hand. She places the paper cup in front of Keith and places a creamer on top of it before turning to Lance and handing him the plastic cup, now filled with what looked like a frappuccino, complete with whipped cream and a dusting of what looked like cinnamon.

“Black coffee with one caramel creamer on the side for Mr. Grumpy and a frozen dutch apple chai tea for Sir Sunshine.” Keith rolls his eyes at the nicknames but Lance could see a small smile on his face.

“Thank you, Violet.” Lance says, grinning as she hands him a straw.

“Hey no prob, Bob!” She says with a wink. Just then, the door lets out another ding and Violet gives Lance a salute before scurrying away back behind the counter.

“Well she’s a firecracker, isn’t she?” Lance asks with a chuckle, taking a sip from the drink and immediately clasping a hand over his mouth, “Oh my god! This is incredible!” He immediately takes a few large gulps before forcing himself to stop and savor the rest. It tasted like an apple pie mixed with heaven and ice and Lance was loving every second of it.

“Yeah, we’re lucky to have her around.” Keith answers, pouring the single creamer into his coffee and stirring it slowly with the thin plastic straw Violet had provided. After she finishes up with the customer that had walked in, she bounces back to them and places the pastries Keith had ordered on the table. Lance smiles and slides the danish closer to himself. He takes a bite out of it and melts into his chair, letting out a groan as he takes another bite.

“Quiznak, this is amazing!” A booming voice from behind him shocks Lance enough that he nearly slides out of his chair.

“Well, she does get them from a local bakery!” Lance quickly sits up and turns around to face the giant man behind him.

“Hunk!” Hunk had changed over the years, growing even taller than Lance thought he would. His arms had grown buffer, cutting away from the teddy bear look Lance was used to. Lance pulls the man into a tight hug and is surprised to feel muscles in Hunk’s back as well. He pulls away and throws him a lopsided smile.

“Have you been working out?” Lance asks, slapping his arm. Hunk laughs and rolls his eyes.

“Do you have to ask me that every time you see me?” Lance blushes and looks to Keith, who just gives him an amused shrug.

“Every time is like the first, my man!” He says, trying to cover up his mistake with a joke. He looks at Hunk’s face and is pleasantly surprised to find no scars. He had gained a few wrinkles, which was not very shocking considering how much the yellow paladins liked to worry. His hair had been grown out and tied into a bun, showing where the sides and back of his head had been shaved into an undercut. The short bangs that Hunk had before were now hanging past his chin, one side tucked behind his ear.

“I’m glad you had a chance to taste the danish. It’s basically the only thing of mine you haven’t tried yet. What do you think?” Lance was happy to think that Hunk ended up opening a bakery. They had talked about it a lot while in space. While Hunk wanted to be an engineer more than anything else, fighting aliens and fixing lions had taken a toll on him and even the Hunk from his time wanted to settle down and open a bakery. It seems he got his chance after all.

“Are you kidding me, buddy? Everything you make is delicious!” Pleased with his answer, Hunk sits in his chair, Violet setting his drink down in front of him only seconds later. Hunk turns to the short girl with a smile.

“Thanks, Violet, and just so you know, Pidge will be here soon.” Violet gives him a grin and pokes his nose with a straw.

“Thanks for the warning, big guy.” She turns back to her duties.

“Warning?” Lance asks once she’s out of earshot. Keith clears his throat and shoots up an eyebrow at Lance. Hunk sips his drink and gives a questioning look.

“You okay, Lance?” Lance realized that he must have missed something important.

“Yeah, yeah, feeling fine! Why do you ask?”

“It’s not like you to forget inside jokes.” Keith clears his throat once again, getting Hunk’s attention.

“We’ll explain everything once Pidge gets here.” The door dings again, “Speak of the devil.”

Lance has to stop his jaw from dropping when he turns around to face Pidge. The girl had changed drastically over the years, which was understandable considering she was launched into space when she was only fifteen. The (now twenty-eight-year-old) woman had grown significantly taller- nearly reaching Lance’s nose. Despite her growth spurt, she stayed very petite and Lance couldn’t believe how feminine she was. Her hair, which was currently down, had grown past her shoulders and had a few small braids hanging delicately in her locks.

Pidge’s arms were covered in tattoos. Geometric lions, flowers, and Altean symbols covered her skin and Lance couldn’t help but wonder how much the ink had cost. But the tattoos weren’t the most surprising things about the woman.

It took Lance a few seconds to realize that the silver metal and green lights of Pidge’s leg were a prosthetic, seemingly built by Pidge herself. It was a very advanced leg with metallic joints and a hollowed out thigh and calf, giving it a very space-age feel. There were green-glowing etchings in the metal to match the tattoos on her arm and Lance swallowed hard, wondering what exactly caused this to happen. He could tell by the scar running around the base of the prosthetic, which was in clear view in the middle of her thigh peeking out from under her shorts, that it had been a devastating accident. The scars traveled up a few inches, disappearing under her clothes.

“Sup, Heteros!” She calls out, taking her seat with them, tossing her bag to the side of the table. Keith lets out a snort.

“Literally no one here is hetero.” Pidge just shrugs and steals the rest of Lance’s danish- much to the displeasure of the boy.

“It’s still a fun greeting.” Lance shoots her daggers until Keith slides the barely-picked-at muffin to him. He gives him a grateful glance and accepts the treat, savoring every bite.

“So what did you want to tell us?” Hunk asks, placing his elbows on the table. Lance swallows hard, nearly choking on a blueberry. It launches him into a coughing fit and Pidge has to give him a few slaps on the back to get him back in order.

“Well- I-” He’s cut off by the arrival of Violet who hands Pidge a large paper coffee cup. Pidge takes the cup and grins.

“Thanks, Violet.” Pidge places a kiss on the girl’s cheek and Lance remembers that Keith mentioned Pidge having a girlfriend, he just hadn’t stated who it was.

“No problem, I have a few more customers to serve but I’ll catch up with everyone later!” She returns to the counter and Pidge turns back to the group.

“You were saying?” Lance glances towards Keith, silently begging for help. Keith takes his hint and scoots his coffee to the side as if to say ‘time to get down to business’.

“What I have to tell you isn’t exactly… good news.” He says, immediately drawing concern from their friends.

“Is everything okay?” Hunk asks.

“Not exactly. Lance is having some problems... remembering things?” Pidge squints her eyes.

“What do you mean?” Lance takes over this awkward conversation.

“He means that I don’t remember a single thing from the past twelve or so years.” Hunk nearly knocks his coffee over in surprise and Pidge immediately scoots closer to him.

“Funny joke Lance, but this isn’t the kind of prank that goes over well.” Lance leans away from Pidge and grimaces slightly.

“I’m not joking.” All movement at the table stops.

“Lance is telling the truth,” Keith says solemnly, “I found out this morning.”

“Well, what’s the last thing you remember?” Pidge asks, still covering for Hunk’s shocked silence. Lance stays silent for a few moments, trying to figure out how to choose his words carefully.

“Remember the crash that gave me my scar?” They nod, “Well that’s what I remember. Crashing into the side of a Galra ship.” There’s silence for a good minute or so.

“Dude, are you sure?” Hunk asks, finally breaking his silence.

“I mean yeah, I’m pretty sure I would remember all of... this.” He gestures to everyone at the table.

“So you don’t remember the coalition or Zarkon’s defeat or anything?” Lance shakes his head at Hunk’s question. By now it was easy for him to believe his own story, including the toned-down version he was telling his friends, so seeing how hard it was for Hunk to grasp his ‘amnesia’ made him realize just how severe this situation is.

“Lance, should we take you to the doctor? Keith, why didn’t you take him to a doctor?” Keith’s head snaps to Pidge, eyes darkened.

“No doctors.” He says, causing both Hunk and Lance to throw up their eyebrows.

“Keith, buddy?” Hunk asks tentatively. Keith sighs and rubs his temples.

“No doctors. All they’ll do is run tests and nothing good can come from it.” Hunk and Pidge look at each other, realizing that they probably aren’t getting the full story.

“Okay... but we should at least take him to see Shiro, he may know what to do.” Pidge says, sipping her drink thoughtfully. Lance nods, knowing he would have to tell their leader eventually, and if anybody would know what to do, it would be Shiro.

Lance knew why Keith didn’t want his to go to a doctor. It was the same reason he didn’t tell his friends the full truth. Seeing a doctor meant that they would run tests on him and (most likely) find nothing. He knew it would be a waste of money and time considering that as far as he knew, he wasn’t the Lance from this time. He didn’t want to waste any resources from Keith.

“So if Lance doesn’t remember anything from the past decade or so…” Pidge’s eyes give off an evil glint. “I get to re-use all my old material.” Hunk starts shaking his head.

“Oh no. Pidge, you better not break out the ‘Fried Shrimp’ fiasco again.” He says, placing finger quotes around the words fried shrimp. Pidge just giggles and silences herself by drinking her coffee before wincing and muttering ‘too hot’. Hunk turns to Lance and takes his hand.

“Did Keith tell you everything that happened? Do you have any questions?” Just like Hunk to worry about his friends. Keith pipes up.

“I did, for the most part at least. But we had some questions that only you two can answer.” Hunk looks at him expectantly and Lance sighs.

“So that crash I mentioned earlier. What do you two remember from it? I think it may have something to do with all of this.” Hunk looks to Pidge.

“Well, I don’t remember much, I just remember that you were trying to distract some Galran drones with Blue and as far as I know, you crashed because you weren’t paying attention. None of us know how you lost control.”

“Hunk’s right. All we remember is you yelling for help before your coms went down. I wish we could help more but it’s been years, Lance. We’ve had so many battles that it’s hard to keep track.” Lance lets go of Hunk’s hand and covers his face with his own, leaning his elbows on the table. Keith scoots over a bit and pats his back, rubbing small circles into it.

Pidge leans over to Keith and lowers her voice.

“So how did he react when he realized that you two were married?” Keith snorts and

sends her a smirk.

“He screamed.” Lance sends them both a glare through his fingers but couldn’t help the

smile growing on his face.

“Well waking up suddenly married to my rival is kind of a- Brew’d Awakening” He jokes,

forming his hands into his familiar finger guns. The entire table groans and Pidge facepalms.

“Really? Using my girlfriend’s puns against me?” Lance chuckles.

“To be fair, I didn’t fully know she was your girlfriend.”

“Right. Amnesia. I should have known you weren’t yourself considering you forgot your fashion sense.” She says, gesturing to his jacket. Lance acts offended.

“Excuse me, this jacket is braver than any U.S. Marine!” This time Hunk facepalms.

“Does this mean we have to listen to old memes again?” Pidge chuckles at his question.

“No, no, my dear Hunk. This means we get to introduce him to the new ones.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late chapter! I got back from a vacation with no wifi and tried to write this one as quickly as possible for y'all! I hope you enjoyed it! As always, comments and kudos are appreciated!


	4. ANNOUNCEMENT

Thank you all for supporting my first multi-chapter fic and for leaving such nice comments!

 

Unfortunately, I am taking some time to start up my commissions. I recently had an accident that left me unable to work so Im in a very tight place financially. I'll try to keep working on Trying to Remember, Failing to Forget but im not sure how much time I will have!

 

If you would like to message me, you can find me on tumblr @loudlydistinguishedhologram

 

Thank you all for your patience and understanding!

-Alicefellthroughtheworld


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